Golf Talk

So, I had a feeling about Mike Weir. I had him on my fantasy team all week, until of course, I watched that stupid Dr. North segment on ESPN and he felt really strongly about Geoff Ogilvy. I thought to myself that in my opinion Ogilvy is great in the spring, but he seems to fade away going into summer. [I'm sure he had a great tournament in July last year or something, I don't feel like looking it up and I'm sure someone will correct me about anyway] But nonetheless, I switched out Weir for Ogilvy.

I should have switched out for Tiger Woods. Pee-ew. 4 over, wtf?

But then again, it’s just the first round and a half for Mike. The first round of the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black was rained out yesterday. And how. Sure sucked to be ESPN, set up for their exclusive first round coverage, only to have it rained out. In fact, it is the rain’s fault that I don’t have Weir on my A-squad. If it had not of been raining, I would have watched golf instead of “Dr. North.”

Sigh.

I really hate covering these truncated rounds, but here goes. Mike Weir came out this today and shot a 64 to up the ante in the US Open. He was the leader after the first round at 6 under, but there was just enough time to play half of the second round. Weir dropped two strokes through nine holes and currently sits at 4 under and in a tie for 3rd with Todd Hamilton and Peter Hanson. Hanson was in second going into his second round, but he is par through 11 holes; no matter, as Ricky Barnes surpassed Hanson by a stroke and sits at 5 under through the back nine.

I already mentioned Tiger. Adam Scott is finally doing well after a 69 in the first round and he’s 1 under through 11 (he started on the back). Phil Mickelson is at 1 under through one and a half rounds. Sean O’Hair is a stroke ahead of Phil. Still Major-less Sergio Garcia struggled or so it seemed, but he did shoot par, which ain’t that bad for Bethpage Black. He’s at 1 under through the back 11 in a tie for 25th with the-name-I-love to say Rory McIlroy.

Of course, the golfer I am leaving out is Lucas Glover. He has shot up into the lead by shooting 5 under through 13 holes so far…

Glover is currently leading the US Open going into the third day/second round at 6 under. But truly, this is anyone’s tournament. Most of the field has yet to tee off for the second round.

US Open, golf, Tiger Woods, Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Weir, PGA, ESPN, Bethpage Black, Todd Hamilton, Peter Hanson, Ricky Barnes, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Sean O’Hair, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Lucas Glover

And so it was written…

Tiger Woods did what he had to today, going 7 under in the final round (12 under total) and forcing home the fact that the Memorial Tournament was his for a fourth time. For all the Tiger-doubters, those who kept asking what was wrong when he placed in the top ten instead of winning, this win puts an ellipses in Tiger’s return to golf after knee surgery. A win next week at the US Open will be an exclamation point.

At the beginning of the final round, a 32-year-old rookie named Matt Bettencourt had a share of the lead with Mark Wilson. As the day went on, Jonathan Byrd made an eagle on #7 and a couple of birdies to go up by two strokes, but then geez, he just feel apart. But then if you want to talk about falling apart on the last two holes, let’s talk Davis Love. I hope he gets over that bogey-triple bogey before he tees off for his 36-hole qualifier for the US Open tomorrow.

Jim Furyk shot 3 under and almost coulda’ been a contender if he could have birdied out the last holes, or an eagle on the last, but he just couldn’t muster more than one birdie on 18. He took solo second at one stroke behind Woods. The tie for 3rd went to Byrd and Wilson at 8 under. Matt Kuchar shot 1 under to go to 6 under, which was good enough for a tie for 5th with Love and Bettencourt.

On the LPGA Tour, In-Kyung Kim took out Cristie and Kristy (Kerr and McPherson) to win the ‘09 State Farm Classic at 17 under. This was one of those tournaments where you had to go low every day to stay on top, and Kim was only hovering in the top 20 when she shot a 3 or 4 under. It wasn’t until she went 7 under on Sunday that put her ahead of Rounds 1 and 2 leader Se Ri Pak, who shot 6 under in the final round. Paula Creamer also shot 7 under on Sunday and finished in a tie for 6th at 14 under. Michelle Wie redeemed herself a bit today, after shooting a 77 on Saturday, and shot 3 under.

In Wales, Jeppe Huldahl held on to the lead to win the Celtic Manor Wales Open. Yep. Maybe I should start covering the Nationwide Tour, but then it will be a bunch of guys I’ve never heard of, just like this week on the European Tour. Ah well.

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Tiger Woods, Matt Bettencourt, Mark Wilson, Jonathan Byrd, Davis Love, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, In-Kyung Kim, Cristie Kerr, Kristy McPherson, Paula Creamer, Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie

Before getting into who played well today in the second round at the Memorial Tournament, let’s look at who really screwed up. Thomas Aiken, that’s who. You thought I was going to say Luke Donald, didn’t you? Thomas Aiken was tied for second before he started playing golf today, and maybe the pressure got to him. He shot an astounding 11 over and is going home for the weekend.

Speaking of Luke Donald, yes, he kind of blew it today as well, shooting a 4 over 76, but that only dropped him down into a tie for 7th at 4 under for two rounds. It was Jim Furyk who took over the top spot along with Jonathan Byrd. Furyk added a 2 under today to his 5 under yesterday, moving up from a tie for 2nd. Byrd went 4 under today, one stroke off the low round of the day (Chris DiMarco and Matt Kuchar, both of whom moved up to 7th from 48th).

Mike Weir and Mark Wilson are one back at 6 under. Ryuji Imada and Matt Bettencourt are at 5 under. Ernie Els is at 4 under with Davis Love, who shot a 68 today. And for all the hubbub, Tiger Woods shot a what’s-wrong-with-him 2 over. He is at 1 under in a tie for 24th with Rocco Mediate and Paul Casey.

Se Ri Pak held on to her first round lead with a 68 today in the 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic. Yesterday’s co-leader Jee Young Lee fell back one stroke, and Suzann Pettersen moved up to take a share of the lead in her stead. Pettersen shot 6 under today and is at 10 under for the tournament with Pak. Michelle Wie went 4 under to move up into a tie for 16th, four strokes behind the lead with Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel. Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis are at 4 under.

In the Celtic Manor Wales Open, all three co-leaders from the first round fell apart today, and now it’s a Scot and two Brits in the top spots. Scot Richie Ramsay shot a 4 under 67 to take the lead at 7 under. Ross Fisher and Robert Rock, 4th and 9th respectively in the Race to Dubai (kind of like the Fed Ex Cup, but you win more money thanks to the Euro being strong), are tied for 2nd at 6 under. Jeev Milkha Singh is at 5 under, Colin Montgomerie is 4 under, and Corey Pavin barely made the cut.

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Thomas Aiken, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Jonathan Byrd, Chris DiMarco, Matt Kuchar, Mike Weir, Mark Wilson, Ryuji Imada, Matt Bettencourt, Ernie Els, Davis Love, Tiger Woods, Rocco Mediate, Paul Casey, Se Ri Pak, 2009 LPGA State Farm Classic, Suzann Pettersen, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Celtic Manor Wales Open, Jeev Milkha Singh, Richie Ramsay, Ross Fisher, Robert Rock, Colin Montgomerie, Corey Pavin

Wow, ok, it seems that Luke Donald’s bogey on the first hole only seems to have granted him super birdie powers for the remainder of his first round at the 2009 Memorial Tournament. Donald only needed to putt 20 times during his 18 holes and 9 birdies. That’s a (w)hole lot of one-putts.

Many golfers tried to match Donald’s low round of an 8 under 64, but alas, no one comes come closer that 5 under. One of which being Jim Furyk, who himself had 7 birdies. Too bad he also had 2 bogeys. Australian Jason Day almost matched Donald, and was playing strong with nothing but birdies (7 of them actually) until he hit 17 and 18 and bogeyed out both holes. Ted Purdy and South African Thomas Aiken are also in that 5 under tie for 2nd.

Last week’s playoff contender Steve Marino is just behind at 4 under with Stewart Cink and Mark Wilson. Tiger Woods is lurking behind at 3 under and in a tie for 9th with nine other guys including Reiner Saxton, an amateur with a truly awesome name.

While the men are in Dublin, Ohio, the Ladies are in Springfield, Illinois at Panther Creek (sounds so fierce, doesn’t it?) playing the LPGA State Farm Classic. Jee Young Lee and Se Ri Pak are leading at 6 under after round one. Natalie Gulbis and Suzann Petersen are 2 strokes back at 4 under. Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel are at 3 under with a gazillion others — it goes from a tie for 7th to a tie for 36th on the leaderboard, which is where we find Michelle Wie at 2 under.

On the European Tour, it’s the Celtic Manor Wales Open in Newport, Wales (that’s the Celtic Manor to the right). Not much to report as it’s a bunch of guys no one really hears about all that much. It’s a four-way tie at the top at 5 under and in that tie are Thomas Bjorn, Nick Dougherty, David Frost and Alan McLean — see what I mean?

golf, PGA, LPGA, European Tour, Memorial Tournament, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Jason Day, Ted Purdy, Steve Marino, Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Reiner Saxton, LPGA State Farm Classic, Jee Young Lee, Se Ri Pak, Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Petersen, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie, Celtic Manor Wales Open

Maybe those glasses are kind of lame, but it didn’t matter in the end with a final round 66 at TPC Sawgrass. Henrik Stenson finally came up a winner in the 2009 Players Championship. Of course, all the talk (and coverage) was about Alex Cejka’s young escape from behind the iron curtain in Czechoslovakia, and about how Tiger Woods was in the final pairing and could possibly play the spoiler in Cejka’s historic bid for a Players’ trophy going to a German national.

But in the end, it was not Tiger, nor Ian Poulter, that overcame Cejka’s 5 stroke lead, as really Cejka overcame his own lead. It was all about going low on Sunday, and Stenson went lowest at 6 under. Even if Cejka had shot even, Stenson still would have won.

I should have seen this outcome, to be honest. Stenson is one of those guys that has become a bit of a contender in the majors lately. Last season, he placed in a tie for 3rd and 4th in the US Open and PGA Championshiop, respectively. He also has a knack of placing in the top 20 (and better) in World Golf Championship events.

And it was nice that last year’s champ, Sergio Garcia, was able to pass on the Players Crystal Vase (or whatever it is) to his Ryder Cup teammate…

Hey, did anyone else catch the PGA Tour Commish, Timothy Finchem mispronounce Stenson’s name at the trophy presentation? He called him Heinrik…twice. This is not the first time that Stevenson…er, I mean, Stenson has dealt with his name being mangled. It is one of the easier names out there, sounding just like it written. How do you think he was have pronounced Cejka’s name?

On the LPGA Tour, at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, Cristie Kerr held off all challengers to win by two strokes (16 under) over the pair of Kims.

And holy cow! John Daly shot an impressive final round 66 to take 2nd place at the BMW Italian Open. Maybe Daly should stay with the European Tour even after his suspension is up. Maybe it’s the liberal attitude toward nudity and beer.

PGA, Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass, Henrik Stenson, Tiger Woods, Alex Cejka, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Cristie Kerr, John Daly, LPGA, European Tour, golf

It’s almost like we all just expect Tiger Woods to be out there dominating every day he plays golf. If he only shoots a 2 under, then we all ask, what went wrong? But as anyone watching the 2009 Players Championship will notice that sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

Alex Cejka, who fled Czechoslovakia at the age of nine with his father, and isn’t afraid of the color pink is keeping his cool, and this might just be his tournament to win tomorrow. But when you have someone like Tiger Woods stalking you ( and right beside you — Cejka and Woods are the final pairing tomorrow), it could be anyone’s tournament to win, and when I say anyone’s, I mean Tiger’s.

Then again, Cejka does have a five stroke lead, and that just by shooting par today. Luckily for Cejka, just about everyone else fell apart around him and

nary a challenger was to be seen, once Ian Poulter ran into trouble around the turn with three bogeys on 8, 9, and 11. His 75 still has him in second, but along with Tiger, there are four other guys sitting 5 strokes behind Cejka, all at 6 under: Retief Goosen, Ben Crane, Jonathan Byrd and Henrik Stenson.

Judging by the utterly brutal way TPC Sawgrass played today, Cejka would have to blow up tomorrow or someone (Tiger, for example) in that tie for 2nd is going to really have to turn on some Daniel Chopra-in-Round-Two-minus-the-last-2-holes magic to take the Championship. The low round today was only 4 under (Kenny Perry and Woody Austin, thank you), so a 5 stroke lead may not only be historic, but it may be enough, if Cejka can shoot around par on Sunday.

And oh my gosh, Lorena Ochoa shot a 75 today to tumble from her two-day lead at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill. Lindsey Wright and Cristie Kerr shot a 64 and a 66, respectively, to go into Sunday’s final round co-leading at 15 under. In-Kyung Kim is 14 under, and the other Kim, Song-Hee is 13 under. Ochoa fell back into a tie for 5th with Wendy Ward and Natalie Gulbis.

And in Italy, at the BMW Italian Open, check it…John Daly shot yet another 69, which moves him from a tie for 16th into a tie for 11th. That’s a whole lotta Miller Light.

Alex Cejka, that’s who. If you want a little insight into the mind of this crazy German, you can check out his website, and its translation by clicking here. The translation issues alone are enough reason to check it out. That and his photo. Priceless.

Cejka has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but it having a good year and seems poised to take his first title. He has been really good at finishing in ties for 13th this year, which may be a bad omen to some, but don’t tell Alex that. Cejka followed up his 66 yesterday with a 67 today, to lead the 2009 Players Championship at -11 at the half-way point.

However, don’t count out the rest of the field quite yet. Sure, Cejka was holding a lead of up to 4 strokes during the day, Ian Poulter made a big move today, shooting 67-68 to move into second place at 9 under. And check it out, recent Master’s winner Angel Cabrera shot a 65 today to move up to a tie for 3rd. He shot par yesterday, so he wins in terms of biggest mover today.

Kevin Na also went low today, shooting 6 under. He is sitting in that same tie for 3rd at 7 under. Others in that tie include David Toms (67-70), Jason Dufner (67-70), John Mallinger (66-71), and Henrik Stenson (68-69).

Tiger Woods started out rather sluggishly, but came to life later in his round. Could he be poised to make a run at the top tomorrow? If I had him on my fantasy, I’d be playing him tomorrow just in case. However, my A-team is Camilo and Phil, and I have yet to play Phil. Will I tomorrow? Maybe…Mickelson shot a paltry even today, but it’s not like the man is entirely capable of going something crazy like 9 under tomorrow, tying the course record.

At theLPGA’s Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, Lorena Ochoa is putting some distance between her and the two Kims, In-Kyung and Song-Hee. Ochoa leads by three strokes going into the weekend.

And in John Daly-on-the-European-Tour news, JD shot another 69 today in the BMW Italian Open to sit at 4 under going into money spots. He is 5 behind the leader, who is some guy I’ve never heard of, but not the same guy as yesterday, who I also had never heard of.

Players Championship, Alex Cejka, Ian Poulter, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Toms, PGA Tour, golf, Angel Cabrera, John Mallinger, Henrik Stenson, Jason Dufner, Kevin Na, Michelob Ultra Open, Kingsmill, Lorena Ochoa, John Daly, BMW Italian Open

Sorry, I cannot help but have fun at Tiger’s expense. The guy can afford it. However, it is strange to see Tiger Woods struggle at TPC Sawgrass. I’m sure he’ll have one or two killer rounds before all is said and done at the 2009 Players Championship.

Meanwhile, the snail-like Ben Crane (at left) is leading after the first round at 7 under. Crane had a later tee-time, and he also started on the back nine, which seems to have been the right combination for him (and possibly others) today. 13 of the top 20 players today started on the back — maybe it’s getting past 17 early that gives them confidence.

Looking at the big boys, Phil Mickelson also had a rough day (a groan from the gallery). Phil shot a 1 over. [I have him on my bench, and if today is any indication, I may not have to play Phil at all. Go Villegas!] My boyfriend Sergio Garcia, the defending Players Champ, had an okay start to his tournament, shooting a 1 under. I kind of felt guilty not playing Sergio this week on my fantasy team, but I just don’t see him taking this trophy home again — at least not this year. Prove me wrong, Serg, prove me wrong.

A lot of big names shot around par today, and we’ll wait to see who has legs over the next three days. But let’s give a hand to those lesser known players that started out strong. John Mallinger held the lead at 6 under for most of the time I was able to watch today. Also in at 6 under was Richard s. Johnson and Alex Cejka. Who? Yeah, I know.

A ton of guys came in at 5 and 4 under, including Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter, David Toms, and Scott Verplank (all 5 unders); and Jim Furyk, Nick Watney and Henrik Stenson, at 4 under.

A cool, artsy shot of Hole 17’s island green…just because. (photo: Halleran)

Meanwhile, in Virginia, at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, Lorena Ochoa pulled a Ben Crane and went 7 under to take the lead over Lindsey Wright and a lot of Koreans.

And son of a b*tch, John Daly is en feugo on the European Tour, kinda. Daly shot a 2 under in the opening round of the BMW Italian Open, and that puts him in a tie for 17th, just five strokes behind leader Gareth Maybin (?). Go JD!

Today’s final round at Quail Hollow was pretty much what golf is all about…hoping that someone can turn it on one minute and not muck it all up the next. At one point, we had a four way tie for first, only to see one by one the contender’s fall away on that last stretch.

There was a brief moment when I had three of my four fantasy players in that four-way, with my fourth (Ian Poulter) lurking just behind by a stroke. Then that all fell apart for me as Bubba Watson and Sean O’Hair got hot, pushing out my boys — including that “loser” Tiger Woods (great post-round interview, Faherty). Lucas Glover stayed in there, but the intimidating three hole stretch of 16, 17, and 18 were too much for him to stay at 11 under.

Sean O’Hair may have bogeyed out 17 and 18, but it was just enough to not go into a playoff, as Glover could only muster a par on 18. This is O’Hair third win on the PGA Tour, and a nice comeback from his melt-down at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he squandered a five stroke lead to a certain Mr. Tiger Woods.

And speaking of squandering a lead, what the hell happened with Zach Johnson? Dude, you have a Masters under your belt, and you let this little tournament get to you…a disappointing 4 over and a precipitous drop from 1st going into the final round to a tie for 11th is how Johnson will remember the day.

In Phil-Watch, Mickelson redeemed his lousy round yesterday by shooting an impressive 5 under today. He spent the rest of the day on the first page of the standings, but his 8 under left his tied for 5th with Johnathan Byrd, who shot an even more impressive 6 under, and Tim Petrovic, who shot a 4 under today.

Finally, way to go, John Daly. JD shot a 3 under in the final round of the Spanish Open to move up into a tie for 31st. That has got to be his best showing since…his tie for 17th last November in the UBS Hong Kong Open. JD won almost $20,000 for his efforts this weekend. That’s more than enough for another bottle or two of peroxide.

Quail Hollow, Tiger Woods, PGA, golf, Sean O’Hair, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson, John Daly, Bubba Watson, Spanish Open

Since I didn’t get to watch much of what happened yesterday in the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship, and as not much that happened yesterday seemed to have a significant impact on the awesome fun-ness of Saturday, I have decided to skip Friday’s round and focus on today. And not to be braggin’ or anything, but at one point today I had three players on my fantasy team tied for the lead — Tiger Woods, Lucas Glover and Zach Johnson.

But there can be only one…

The 17th and 18th holes were not kind to Tiger Woods or that upstart George McNeill. Both players, who had been trading off the lone leader position for a few holes there at the end, fell prey to back-to-back bogeys. Lucas Glover had trouble on 18, but Zach Johnson had Jesus on his side and made an impressive birdie putt on 17 to take over the leader spot going into Sunday.

Zach Johnson (R) and George McNeill (L) walk off the course after play was suspended due to lightening in the area during the third round of the Quail Hollow Championship at the Quail Hollow Club on May 2, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo: Keane)

The round had been suspended for a short time due to inclement weather, but after I tuned out, it must have picked back up because by the time I checked out the PGA.com leaderboard, all the golfers had completed their third rounds. And I’ll be getting a cool 60 points today for the aforementioned top-trio and Ian Poulter’s 2 under. Kind of makes up for my team’s dismal showing last week, kind of…

And hello, that dapper John Daly made the cut in Spain in the Open de España. He shot an even par in the third round to sit nicely in a tie for 36th, but seemed to struggle today in the third round, shooting a 74 and dropping down in to a tie for 51st.

Quail Hollow, Tiger Woods, PGA, golf, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover, George McNeill, John Daly, Open de Espana

First, was I way off on Rory Sabbatini, or what? Geez, this guy is stinking up the course and my fantasy team. I switched from him last night, and I see today that his second round was not an all-out attempt to try and make the cut. Nope, he stunk up his second round, same as the first. Have fun on your weekend off, Rory.

Back to the real news…Tiger is not effing around this week, is he? The crazy-good Tiger Woods came out swinging and went 7 under the first day to basically taunt Phil Mickelson, if you ask me. Phil took up the challenge, posting an impressive 5 under to place himself in second place along other such notables and not-so-notables as Robert Allenby, Steve Marino, and Jason Dufner.

Coming in at 4 under and also worth mentioning were Retief Goosen, who has suddenly become a contender again, and the unlikely trio of Hunter Mahan, Lucas Glover and Jeff Maggert. I have Glover on my fantasy, but of course, I had him on the bench in favor of Rory Sabba-tage.

Defending champ, Anthony Kim recorded a 2 under for his opening round. Good, sure, but hardly helping in the face of the Tiger Onslaught.

Of course, it’s only the first day. Kinda like a NBA game…it’s not interesting until the last quarter.

The LPGA is off this week. And on the European Tour, John Daly is playing in the Open de España in his 09 European Tour starter. He shot a 2 under, which is like awesome for JD. I guess he has been able to lose some weight…and from the looks of it, he’s also gone crazy.

PGA, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Quail Hollow, Anthony Kim, John Daly, golf, European Tour

I’m kind of sorry to have to frame this in terms of Tiger Woods, but come on, it’s what the people want.

Formerly known as the Wachovia Championship, the Quail Hollow Championship has become big enough of a tournament to draw the likes of Mr. Woods. He won the event two years ago, and if his last round at the Masters a few weeks ago is any indication of how he is playing, I am definitely putting Tiger on my fantasy team this week (as well as everyone else, right?).

Last year’s winner, Anthony Kim hopes to also maybe make it a repeat, but the way he has been playing — yeah, good luck, AK. Watch, now that I have called him out, he’ll totally kick ass and I will have not played him, and then I’ll have yet another crappy week…sigh.

Anyway, the Quail Hollow Club (a private club south of Charlotte, North Carolina) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Although the anniversary is not marking the opening of QH, but instead is the 50th year since the “founders” first met to discuss opening the club, but I guess that is neither here nor there for these guys.

Quail Hollow has a long history of hosting tournaments, but this is only the 7th for the PGA Tour’s Quail Hollow Championship. David Toms won that first year in 2003, followed by other such illustrious players as Joey Sindelar, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, and last year’s Anthony Kim.

The lowest round shot at Quail Hollow (a Tom Fazio-designed course) is 64, and three golfers have achieved this feat. Kirk Triplett did it first in 2004 in the first round. Triplett also co-holds the record for lowest score on the front 9 with a 30 in that same round. Two other 64’s were recorded. Bo Van Pelt did it in second round of 2006 and Rory Sabbatini did it in 2006 in the second round.

Hmm, Sabbatini, eh? He’s been playing pretty well lately…

Tiger Woods, PGA, golf, Quail Hollow Championship, Wachovia Championship, Charlotte, North Carolina, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Tom Fazio

So for all my bitching yesterday about how boring the past two rounds were in the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Arnold Palmer’s baby, Bay Hill, the final round provided us with all kinds of drama before the finishing birdie by Tiger Woods to win by one stroke over the two-day dominant leader, Sean O’Hair. Not only did Tiger win, but he did it in typical Tiger at Bay Hill fashion, with a dramatic birdie on the finishing hole.

Thank goodness golf was exciting, as it assuaged my disgust that Oklahoma couldn’t cover the spread.

Let’s give it up for O’Hair though. It must be really hard going into a final round with any lead, even an insurmountable 5 strokes, with Tiger breathing down your neck. His incredible run just couldn’t last. O’Hair faltered, with four bogeys on 3, 7, 10 and 16 and only one birdie to offset his deficit.

Zach Johnson and John Senden made runs for the top as O’Hair stumbled down the stretch. Johnson started off in third and that is exactly how he ended up. Senden shot a 3 under to move into a tie for 4th. Nick Watney made up some ground, going 2 under. He also ended up in that tie for 4th, along with Senden, Pat Perez (who had a real temper out there today at the end), and Scott Verplank.

On the ladies LPGA Tour, Karrie Webb (right) showed up today at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International determined to put this one away, shooting a 5 under to win by two over yesterday’s leader, Jiyai Shin, who placed 2nd all alone. Third went to 2 round leader In-Kyung Kim, who tried to keep up with Webb but found that she couldn’t. Lorena Ochoa just couldn’t get much going this week, but ended up with back-to-back 70’s to finish 4 under, only ten strokes behind Webb.

PGA, LPGA, Tour, golf, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods, Sean O’Hair, Zach Johnson, John Senden, Nick Watney, Karrie Webb, J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, Jiyai Shin, In-Kyung Kim, Lorena Ochoa

Not that I am trying to take anything away from Sean O’ Hair, who is playing just super at Bay Hill this week during the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is leading the rest of the field by 5 strokes. And the next closest guy…Tiger Woods. Tiger shot a 1 over.

Unfortunately, the tournament is suffering because of one man dominating the field. Maybe it’s just the NCAA tournament, but I find myself wandering away from NBC during the coverage. Maybe Tiger will charge tomorrow and give O’ Hair a run for the money, but other than that, I cannot see Sunday being a must-watch final round this seasons. Again, sorry Sean O’Hair. It’s not that you are not exciting; it’s just your awesome dominance that is boring.

That said, O’Hair didn’t have to really push himself to keep the lead today; all he had to do was not mess up too badly. There were only four golfers who shot under par today, so it’s not like anyone was really making a go to unseat O’Hair from the top spot. Low round of the day went to Brandt Snedeker (right) with a 3 under 67. He is now in a tie for 6th (from 48th). Zach Johnson has also made a bit of a run, going 2 under today to move into 3rd with Ryuji Imada and Jason Gore.

In Arizona at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, Jiyai Shin shot at 6 under 66 to take over the lead by one stroke from In-Kyung Kim who is at 9 under for the tournament. Karrie Webb remains in a tie for 2nd, shooting a 3 under today. Two-time defending champ Lorena Ochoa did better than par today, going 2 under, but is still wallowing in a tie for 19th.

And as there is no one I know playing (well) on the European Tour this week, I’m skipping it. Tres desole.

PGA, LPGA, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Sean O’Hair, Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Jason Gore, Ryuji Imada, J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, Jiyai Shin, LPGA, In-Kyung Kim, Karrie Webb , Lorena Ochoa

Granted, Tiger Woods is not charging his way to the top of the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he is showing signs that he is ready to break out of his training wheels and start rolling over the competition. Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part, as I do have him playing on my fantasy team this week, so it would be nice if Woods could start dominating any time now.

But the news of the second round is all about Sean O’Hair (left). And it’s not like he was the only one to shoot 5 under today. Robert Allenby also shot a 65 to move up from a tie for 41st to a tie for 3rd. Not bad, Allenby. I almost, almost played you this week, and you are making me wish I had.

But the thing about Sean O’Hair is that he also shot a 3 under in the first round, so that puts him at 8 under thus far for the Arnold Palmer Invite, and that, my friends, is 3 strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, Jason Gore, who stayed even for the day to fall from the top spot to the runner-up.

Allenby is sharing 3rd place with Ryuji Imada, who also had a great day, going 4 under. And Tiger Woods is creeping up from 10th to 5th today, with a 1 under 69. Could Saturday be the day for a charge from the World’s best golfer and defending champion (did I mention that Tiger has won the Arnold Palmer five times already? In fact, he won four years in a row starting in 2000)?

Meanwhile, on the LPGA Tour, Lorena Ochoa is going for a hat trick in Arizona at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, but running into some trouble as she cannot seem to be able to shoot better than par.

In-Kyung Kim (right) is not having the same problem, as she has gone 4 under in both rounds one and two and leads the ladies at 8 under. Suzann Petterson was off by one both days, shooting 69’s (3 under) and is currently two behind at 6 under. Petterson is tied with Karrie Webb, who has gone 70-68.

On the European Tour, it’s the Open de Andalucia de Golf in Seville, Spain, and though you may expect Sergio Garcia to be playing; alas, he is not. German Marcel Siem is leading at 9 under after two rounds. A Frenchman, Jean-Francois Lucquin, and a Brit, Graeme Storm, fill out the top three. Take that, Spain.

golf, PGA, LPGA, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods, Sean O’Hair, Robert Allenby, Jason Gore, Ryuji Imada, J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, Lorena Ochoa, In-Kyung Kim, Suzann Petterson, Karrie Webb, Andalucia Open, European Tour